Just a few short years ago, restaurants relied heavily on the use of phone book menus to sell their edibles. These days, most people don’t have time to sit down to eat, much less to browse a menu online or find a restaurant in a phone book. Because of this, more and more food service businesses are using mobile to reach hungry customers. With the advancement of mobile technology, ordering from your favorite restaurant is easier than ever.

Mobile apps and mobile websites are key to restaurant success.

Food delivery, restaurants and more, are offering mobile apps & mobile websites that allow the users to do everything from browse menus, make reservations, put in orders, pay for meals, set up delivery and everything in between. Users can order food and have it delivered right from their mobile, which saves time and money. This is what we call a win-win-win for customers and employees!

Use mobile analytics to improve your marketing campaigns.

Restaurants can use analytics and data to see what features are working well for their users and which ones aren’t, as well as getting feedback from customers and using apps to provide great customer service. In our opinion at UPG, having both a mobile app and mobile website are equally important so don’t forget to cater to both! When glancing at your mobile analytics make sure to adjust your mobile app & mobile website accordingly to your audience.

Mobile loyalty programs for restaurants can increase repeat business.

There’s many stats available these days that show customers are more likely to purchase from an establishment that rewards loyal customers and mobile presents a huge opportunity for loyalty programs. Imagine if your favorite restaurant gave you a free meal after going say, 10 times? You’d probably sway your way over there more often than not. I know I would!

Mobile reservations at restaurants save employees & customers time.

For restaurants, reservations can be a headache if the right system is not in place. Mobile apps allow customers to automatically book a table at their favorite restaurant without having to worry about their reservation being lost or mishandled. From an employees perspective, the entire process is automated, saving everyone time!

With stats out there showing customers will go to a competitor for not being optimized for mobile devices, it is a no-brainer for restaurants to jump on the mobile band wagon. Rest assured it’s much easier to go mobile than you may have thought!